We Are a Single Charge Constituent Church of the Presbytery of Ayr INDEX

CASTLEHILL CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

PARISH PROFILE

Castlehill Church of Scotland 1 Old Hillfoot Road Ayr KA7 3LW Find us on Facebook www.castlehillchurch.org We are a Single Charge constituent church of the Presbytery of Ayr INDEX

Page 3 --- Our Mission Statement Page 4 --- Pastoral Profile Page 5 --- Activities and Schools Page 6 --- Buildings Page 8 --- Building Plan Page 9-10 --- The Manse Pages 11-13 --- Parish Statistics Page 14 --- Ayr MISSION STATEMENT

Aims and Objectives Sharing our faith in God, our belief and trust in Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and Friend and our experiences of the Holy Spirit in relevant and practical ways

 To focus on God and bring glory and honour to God and Jesus Christ His son in all that we do.

 To represent Jesus through service, evangelism and practical outreach in the local community.

 To provide a welcoming environment, where people can feel safe and comfortable to meet and worship God.

 To share fellowship and worship in a lively, enjoyable and focussed way through modern, contemporary and traditional worship styles.

 To encourage each other in real way-of-life relationships with God through prayerful support and practical help.

 To share and study God’s Word together to understand both collectively and individually God’s will for our lives.

 To keep children interested, stimulated and ready to develop their faith through fun, inspirational and relevant youth teaching and outreach.

 To work in unity with one another and churches of all denominations to utilise our resources effectively in order to share Christian kindness and love with others in Ayr and our mission partners abroad.

 To encourage growth through our commitment to change, experimentation and outreach. Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16.3 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2 3 PASTORAL PROFILE Weekly Services………Sunday 11am Youth Church……….Sundays 11am. Communion Celebrated the first Sunday in March, June, September and December (with selected evening Communions). Service of Wholeness and Healing Celebrated before Morning Service on the last Sunday of the month (excluding summer months). Remembrance Service Every November. Extra Services During Easter (Holy Week) and Christmas. Baptisms and Blessings Offered to babies, children and adults (≈6 p.a.). Weddings and Funerals Offered to both Members and the wider community. Home Communion and Visitation To the sick, elderly, housebound and members in Nursing Homes. This includes a Monthly Service at the Creggan Bahn Nursing Home. Christmas and Easter Cards Cards with times of services hand delivered to every home in the parish. We have held concerts and celebratory nights with diverse groupings such as the Ayr Community Gospel Choir, the Salvation Army, the Dalmellington Brass Band and Blue Grass Gospel. We support Messy Church, (the Salvation Army’s) Broken Chains, Christmas Shoebox Appeal and the Ayr Foodbank. Working Groups Members of the Kirk Board and Session run several Working Groups allowing business to be considered by smaller groups. Other members with specific interests and expertise can be co-opted from the congregation. Groups include Publicity and Communication, Social, Youth and Nurturing. Fabric and Finance have their own committees. South Ayrshire is a single Registration District where a birth, marriage or death may be registered at any of the offices. 4 ACTIVITIES

Bowling Club Monday and Wednesday afternoons (in the winter) Highland Dancing Monday afternoons Pilates Tuesday mornings Coffee Shop Tuesday mornings BB Anchor Boys Tuesday evenings Rainbows, Brownies and Guides Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings Seniors’ Afternoons Tuesday afternoons (once every three months) The Guild Wednesday evenings Weight Watchers Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings Razzamataz Saturday mornings Choir Friday evenings (every two weeks) Hazelbank Playgroup Friday mornings Boys’ Brigade Friday evenings Youth Church Sunday mornings Men’s breakfast Saturday mornings (last one in the month) All of these activities are open to Members and the wider Community.

Local Schools: Non-Denominational Primaries: Forehill & Kincaidston School for children with additional support needs: Southcraig Campus Non-Denominational Secondaries: Kyle Academy, Belmont Academy Denominational Secondary: Queen Margaret Academy 5 BUILDINGS

Church: The church buildings date from 1956 with the sanctuary being built in 1964. It has an open worship area with upper galleries. The Pulpit is situated above and to the left of the Communion Table with the Choir area (with the recently refurbished organ and a piano) to the right. The raised platform on which the Communion Table sits also houses a font and lectern as semi- permanent fixtures. The worship area is bright and well lit. There is an extensive audio-visual system which allows hymnal verses to be shown on screens around the worship area. Fellowship Area: On entry to the buildings, a foyer allows a Welcome Team to meet and greet worshippers with Orders of Service. This area also has a table and boards with magazines (e.g. Life and Work) and notices of upcoming events. Our Offerings Plate sits in the middle of the foyer. Off to the side of the foyer, is a Fellowship Area used for Teas and Coffees (and chats) after Morning Worship. The Board and Session also meet here. Main Hall: The Main Hall is large and used for myriad activities including our indoor Bowling Club, BB’s, Pilates, Summer Teas, Christmas Fayres, Soup and Sweet Lunches, Burns Lunches and Zumba. It was used as the sanctuary when the (now) church was being constructed and renovated. It has a stage, piano and plenty of storage space. Attached to the Main Hall (but with its own entrance) is a small complex of the Church Office (manned weekday mornings), a Lounge and a Quiet Room. Lesser Hall: As its name suggests, this is smaller and designed for more intimate gatherings. It is used by the Crèche on a Sunday morning and for Choir practices. It also has a piano. Kitchen: Our kitchen is well appointed and heavily used during tea and coffee mornings and for clearing up after Communion. *All of the above are linked by disable-friendly corridors, off which are male, female and disabled toilets. North Hall: Detached from the main buildings, the North Hall has recently been re-floored. It has its own kitchen and toilets with an Annex room which is used mainly for storage. It also has a piano. It is used by many groups for their activities. A plan of the buildings is attached.

7 The Manse . The manse is situated next to the church.

The Manse is a single storey building set in its own grounds with garden space to both the front and rear of the building. It consists of:-

 Front and Back Doors.

 A Hallway immediately inside the Front Door.

 To the left of the Hallway, there is a Lounge and Dining Room which run from front to back of the property.

 There is a recently renovated Kitchen with access from both the Dining Room and the Hallway.

 There are Four (4) Bedrooms, one of which is double occupancy and the others for single occupancy.

 There is a separate Study.

 There is a recently re-fitted Bathroom plus a separate toilet and shower.

 There are a couple of large storage cupboards.

 All of the above are inter-connected by a corridor which runs the length of the building.

 It has a Driveway and gated entrance onto Old Hillfoot Road with another gate giving access to the Church car park and grounds.

 A separate Garage sits at the inward end of the Driveway.  A plan of the Manse is attached.

AYR Ayr is a town located in the South West of Scotland where the River Ayr enters the Firth of Clyde. As a regional centre, it has a range of activities both in and around the town. There are both main Railway and Bus Stations in the centre of Ayr and Glasgow Prestwick Airport is within easy reach. There are a great number of Primary and Secondary schools in Ayr (see page 5 for in-Parish schools). Ayr Hospital lies just outside the town and has its own A&E Department which is currently being expanded. The University of the West of Scotland and the Scottish Rural College share a campus within the town in close proximity to a Caravan Club caravan park. Most of the main Supermarket chains have stores in the area with Retail and Industrial Parks dotted around. Ayr is within easy reach of wilderness areas such as that round Loch Doon with the Southern Upland Way and the ‘Ayr Coastal Path’ close by. Nearby cultural spots include the Robert Burn’s Museum (in Alloway), Rozelle Park, Culzean Castle and Dumfries House. Craig Tara (formerly Butlins) Holiday Park lies next to the Heads of Ayr. There are two public swimming pools/indoor recreation centres, one near to an Astro-turf 5-a-side football venue. Dam Park has an athletics track with a local Athletics Group. The Firth of Clyde is a world famous centre for yachting with harbours in Ayr, Troon and Girvan. Ayrshire has a large number of golf courses culminating in three which have hosted the Open Championship – Royal Troon, Turnberry and Old Prestwick. The town is home to Scotland’s premier horse racing course. The town’s football team, Ayr Utd, play in the third tier of Scottish Football. The local rugby team is one of the premier clubs in Scotland. Ayr Cricket Club has a long and distinguished history at the top of Scottish Cricket. Their ground at Cambusdoon holds one-day internationals.